The Big Universe

"[There is] one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for [one] star differeth from [another] star in glory."

One of the most breathtaking sights any human being can experience is available for free. The night sky, especially away from city lights, is a sight that staggers the imagination.

It's no wonder that humans are fascinated with the stars. This fascination explains why some of the earliest modern inventions were telescopes. It also explains why, even in the 17th century, the astronomer Kepler wrote to Galileo suggesting that humans might one day travel to the stars. And it explains why, within four centuries, some have actually set foot on the moon.

The night sky is filled with seemingly countless stars. Our space probes have given us dramatic pictures of the other planets. We have seen the largest volcano in the solar system on Mars, the dramatic volcanoes of Io, the wispy rings of the outer planets and the white, puffy clouds floating in the blue atmosphere of Neptune. Yet, all of these planets and stars are visible to the naked eye. And what the unaided eye can see is less than 100 billionth of the universe! We can directly measure only distant objects that are 300 or so light-years away – which is far less than we can see.

Close up views of the objects in the night sky produce even more awe and wonder than the night sky itself. In a very real sense, the sky is the clearest and the most glorious of our Creator's fingerprints on His incredible workmanship!